Girlfriend says the cat needs to go! (posting on Craig's List)

My girlfriend said the cat has to be gone by 12:00 tomarrow. She left a little while ago to hang with her friends. I put all her crap on the lawn and will try my best to find her a new home but if not there is always the shelter.

So what we have here is one mildly attractive yet bitchy soon to find out she is a homeless exgirlfriend. She is somewhat house broken (but i think she is still connected to her mom by the umbilical cord). She is in her midtwenties and is NOT SPAYED (though she usually takes the pill) Lot of life left in this one. She is up to date on her shots and is great with dogs and small children, but does not seem to get along well with cats. She is playfull and bathroom trained (If takeing over every inch of horizontal surface with her stuff in the place is house broken. Then she is the Queen of house brokeness!!!) She has somewhat of a special diet though i never figured it out fully, but pretty much it is dictated by what ever her closes friend of that week is into (Raw, vegan, atkins, hostes) You get the picture. She will be comeing with a whole lot of stuff!! (If it is still there when she comes home, but when iam done here Iam heading right over to the free section so maybe not) There will not be a rehoming fee (As a matter of fact i got $34 cash if you can get her tonight, If you need more we can hit the atm unless you have paypal then we have lots of options)

The main reason Iam rehoming her is becuase she moved in about 9 months ago, and for three months everything was great, but then she started bitching about my cat. My cat has lived with me for 11 years since he was abandoned in my yard at about 3 weeks old, and i had too bottle feed him and teach him how to do everything a cool male should know (hunt, nap, play, hide, chirp like a bird. how to use a litter box!! This was the most challenging as i did not know how to use one myself. That made for some awkward moments) In other words Misdemeanor and I have been kicking it for a long time, and if she thinks I would even consider kicking him to the curb. Well need i say more?

I may put her up for auction on ebay tonight if my lawyer gives me the okay.

Who's fear is it really?

I had a dream about dog training last night that really clarified for me the journey I have taken these last three years from punishment/correction based training to natural dog training. This dream illuminated the basics of why people need to use harsh, or overly controlling methods in training a dog. The entire dream was about the journey the Brynda and I have taken these last three weeks due to the homework from Therapy Dog Class..
There are two major schools of dog training and behavior modification in existence today. There is the school of "the dog must be controlled" and the school of "show the dog how to live in a human world".

I bet you thought I'd say there is the school of positive punishment / negative reinforcement and the school of positive reinforcement / negative punishment. The truth is that those two schools are basically identical. Both those philosophies lean towards control of the dog. Whether you are using an e-collar or a clicker, the goal is control. One way is control at any cost, the other is control through micro management. Both come from the fear that the dog, when not controlled, will try to dominate us or others. The fear is the fear that since dogs come from wild animals that their basic nature is one of aggression and eat everything before it eats you.
Fear is something that you can manage, control and in some cases remove entirely. Some fears serve a useful purpose, for instance the fear of fire stops us from lighting tinder in a dry forest. One of the most prevalent fears people have is that of losing control. This is the fear that if you don't manage to control the outcome of future events, something terrible will happen.
The fear of losing control is a demand for certainty in a world that is always tentative and uncertain. It is precisely this unrealistic demand that creates the fear. You think that you must accurately predict and manage the future.. People with a fear of losing control demand perfection and perfect control of everything and everyone. What they are saying is, “If I could control these people, I could guarantee the results.” The truth is that control is an illusion, especially if you’re talking about the life or lives of others, control is an illusion; influence is what matters.
Whether it’s with your kids, your employees, your peers, or even your pets, the more you seek to exert control the less you’ll actually have. Someone who must have control will do whatever he or she can to keep others from changing anything. The more you seek to contain others, the less successful you’ll be. The more you seek to control others, the more your attitudes will tend towards "the end justifies the means". Those "means" can be on either end of the spectrum - violence, intimidation and punishment or micro management of every aspect of someone's life or some activity.

Those who understand that control is not really theirs to have, but seek rather to shape the course of events through influence, find themselves far more successful at accomplishing their objectives, and far less negatively affected when they don’t.
This understand of the motives and emotions behind dog training methodology, is what I realized in the middle of this dream. My journey with Brynda these last three weeks, has been one of mutual understanding and respect built through communication. All from a simple exercise during a walk. I didn't have to control her, correct her, guide her, lure her or coax her. All I had to do was communicate with her, talk to her, listen to her and learn who she is. The result this morning while she was being the demo dog for Righteous Recalls was awesome. She was totally focused on me, waiting for my next request, totally willing to work for the entire hour. She only once tried to mooch treats from the others when normally she would be ignoring me and trying to get as many of all the treats available as she could.
Think about your motives and emotions when you are dealing with your dog, and even with your life. Is your method of handling others, of dealing with future events, based on fear or communication.

Dog Training Statistics

Created by Pet365 - an online stockist of dog collars, leads and accessories. Click here to view the full post.

E-collar use

Twice now I've tried to comment on fellow Tucson dog trainers Facebook posts about e-collars.  Twice now I've gotten shot down, compared to cookie trainers and even asked to bring Victoria Stillwell with me to handle a 200 lb dog who can take down a block wall to get to what is on the other side and use my cookies to handle this aggression.

It really makes me wonder what these trainers are thinking of when someone says "there are other ways".  I didn't say "a better way", I didn't use "use a clicker" or "use a cookie".  All I said was" there are other ways" to handle behavior problems.  But really, my response was "there are other ways" to train a dog then with an e-collar.  But for some reason, training becomes a 200 lb dog with aggression. 

At one time in my journey I would have used an e-collar on a 200 lb dog with red zone aggression.  I thought that there was no other effective and safe way for this middle age trainer to help a dog like this.  I thought it was the only way to save his life and the life of many others.  I thought that was the only time I will use an e-collar however - to save lives.  I now think very differently and have actually helped dogs without the use of prongs, shocks, chokes or anything else that fits the positive punishment area.  With games and play and showing the dog that life doesn't have to be fearful, I've handled these dogs.

Dogs have been learning these things for centuries without the use of shock collars, and even without the use of "training" collars, 2X4's, kicks, pinches, punches, etc.  I dare anyone to train a hunting dog to follow a scent trail by using any of those tools and have a willing partner at the end of the training who really enjoys following that scent.  And I really dare anyone to use these methods to train a medical alert dog and still have a dog who can alert when given a command that would counteract the need to alert.  For instance, putting a dog in a dog stay.  The dog knows if he moves he will receive pain.  Owner starts smelling like a seizure is coming.  Dog is in conflict "do I stay or do I alert?".  Which one wins?

But back to the responses I got.  Here's one to analyze:
  

"Suffer? Suffering is being run over by the UPS truck because you bolt every time your owner opens the door...or being euthanized because the treat and clicker "trainer" can't solve your aggression issues or being bitten in the face by a rattlesnake because your owner doesn't want you to experience a small tingle that hurts less than the static electricity they experience when they shuffle across the carpet and touch the light switch. As for inexperienced owners who may abuse the E-collar, these are the same people who would normally just kick their dog, and shouldn't own a dog in the first place.

 

Right. Hundreds of years ago they used a club. If a dog bit a human, they killed it.

By the way, I have a client with 3 Mastiff/Great Danes that have severe aggression issues. They took down a block wall to get to a person on the other side. Each weighs over 200 lbs. One weighs 250. I would be happy to see your theories at work. Perhaps you could bring Victoria Stilwell with you as a small appetizer"

So what is this person's emotional leve?  Anger?  Sounds like anger to me. Defensive?  Definitely.  Did he address the issue at hand? No, he tried to redirect it to a behavior issue, not a training issue.

The next comment by another e-collar trainer was :

"The thing that gets me the most about this is that it's mostly only pet +R trainers out there pushing this agenda. You never see anyone with true reliable working dogs saying these things. They are almost always pushing the agenda about old... outdated methods and have not taken the time to understand modern e-collar training. ALL tools have a place in society. I just wish they would take the time to learn more about the tools and there applications before they preached their opinions like it was a religion. Then at that point if you don't like it cool, but at least you understand it clearly and not what someone else told you!! HAPPY TRAINING ALL"

There are hundreds of trainers out there with reliable working dogs who have never felt a shock or a pinch or even a choke.  I wonder also if they feel that since they must use every tool there is how they feel about nuclear bombs and sarin gas.

I don't understand.  Maybe someone can explain to me how people who are supposed to have an education about their subject can be so one sided.

Canine Life And Social Skills

Thinking Creatively

There are 1000 ways of teaching your dog obedience.  You can use a clicker, an e-collar, leash corrections, pushing the dog around, food lures, etc.  There are also 1000 ways of dealing with the behaviors your dog does that don't quite fit into your world.

We've started a new program here at Seize The Leash called C.L.A.S.S. which stands for Canine Life and Social Skills.  This is a program that has been developed by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.  In reviewing the program before becoming an evaluator, I wanted to see what methods of training were recommended and what the goals of this program are.  There was so much about this program that fit with my views of behavior and training, that I couldn't pass up the chance to use it.

This program revolves around play training.  There are over 100 games involved in teaching the skills required to pass the three levels of testing (BA, MA and PhD).  Each game is so much more then just a game, it's Real Life Set-up.  Games such as Pizza Delivery, Bagel Recall, Theme Parties, Do You Really Know Sit, etc.  Each games has one or two specific skills it teachs and strenghtens.  Each games uses a part of the human world as a distraction or a teaching tool.  This is the stuff of magic.

I already use games in my classes, especially Reactive Dog, Shy Dog, Righteous Recalls and Out Of Control class.  No one walks away at the end of the hour without having learned something new and improving someting they learned in a previous lesson.  And everyone has fun, including the dogs.  The dogs get desensitized without boring repetitions of encouraging calming signals or trying to stay under threshold.  The dogs get counter conditioned without the humans even realizing it's happening.

Think outside the box, don't limit yourself to someone else's idea of what the solution to your dog behavior problem should be. There are 1000's of ways to solve problems, to calm a dog, to desensitize a dog, to redirect a dog, to teach a dog. Setting limitations can set you and you dog up to fail. Be creative, think outside the box.

Your fear of what your dog "might" do can keep your dog from learning. If you have an aggressive dog and your become afraid of going anywhere, doing anything with your dog, playing even the simplest games with your dog or allowing your dog to have any social interaction at all, that aggression will never abate. Your fear will keep in in place.


And remember, no matter what method of training / teaching / conditioning you use with your dog, your results will only be as good as YOUR committment, focus and persistence.

Mis-match

Twice in the last few months I've had to recommend that the dogs a family just adopted be returned because they are a total mis-match for that family.

The first was a high energy, rambunctious 9 month old Airedale puppy.  When I did the evaluation, this poor puppy was so stressed her paws never stopped sweating - and it wasn't hot, it was January.  She couldn't hold a focus, her attention span, even on her favorite toys was about 1/4 of a second.  The family reported that she was also reactive, bordering on aggressive with the youngest grandchildren and anyone coming into the home.  She had also never been leash trained. So, I recommneded she come to class to handle her stress and her reported reactivity which I didn't see in the evaluation.

For two weeks this family faithfully brought her to class.  They started learning how to communicate with Nikki and how to get her calm and keep her that way.  Nikki's leash manner improved immensely.  Then she had another "episode" with a workman who surprised her in the backyard and she nipped him good.  Back to the rescue she went.  In two days, the sweaty feet, the anxiety, the reactivity and the lack of impulse control was gone.  She was still high energy - nearly all Airedales are - but the abnormal behavior was gone, like magic.

She has since been adopted again to a wonderful couple who continued her education with us and Nikki is living the good life.

Now, just this week, I had to help another dog get out of an untenable situation.  Vanessa is a shepard bassett mix.  She was with her foster for a couple of months along with 6 other dogs.  The only reported issues were an aversion for the crate and a tendency to ignore the humans.  She got adopted and by the third day, the new family was calling me for help.  Vanessa was reported to have severe separation anxiety, leash aggression and was getting worse and worse about lunging and snapping at any strangers who would enter the house.

For three weeks Vanessa came to reactive dog class and got no better.  She was fine with me, she was fine with Deena, but when her owner had her on a leash, she was a Tasmanian Devil.  The separation anxiety and the snapping were also getting worse.  So I put the owners on a strict program at home with her to handle these issues.  For four days they faithfully reported what they were doing and that the separation anxiety was resolving. 

Then last night she tried to maul a child visiting the home.  Back to the foster and again, no problems.  She immediately integrated into the pack of now 11 dogs - 6 of them new to her since she had been gone a month.  She slept peacefully in her crate which she would not do at her adopters home and no sign of leash reactivity or aggression towards humans.

Two instances of a total mis-match of human family to dog. We'll see how Vanessa does in the future and it is to be hoped that she will find the right family.  A family where she won't be stressed and feel like she has to defend herself and chase everything away because it's all so scary.

Some thoughts of mine on training and competitive dog sports...

From a client who has brought four of her five dogs to our classes.  Three for behavior work and one for Rally Obedience (and is continuing with this as you'll see when you read this).

I know that training to compete in dog sports doesn’t appeal to everyone. Many people just want a well mannered companion animal, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I have yet to enter into a competition, but I’ve got my eye on obedience, Rally-O, and weight pull. Training with the intention of competing is quickly becoming more than just a hobby for me – it’s becoming more like a way of life in my home. I’m not very competitive by nature, so I’ve spent some time thinking about just what it is that appeals to me about dog sports. I can only come up with one answer. Dogs thrive on work. For every moment that I invest in teaching my dogs new behaviors, or polishing old ones, I see incredible positive change in them, both individually, and as a pack. They are more balanced and seem to carry themselves with a sense of purpose. It’s not just my working breeds either, I even see a little extra pep in the step of my Chihuahua when we’re out working. Training fulfills dogs. And I’ve found training for competition a useful way to direct both my energy and theirs towards a goal.

I don’t have special, handpicked dogs. I didn’t select them for their sound temperament or their working aptitude. I have second-hand rescue dogs, all but one of which were acquired as adults with behavioral issues. I’m also not some incredible dog handler. I’m dog savvy, but I can be a klutz. I’m not always the best at following direction, or being aware of the non verbal cues that I’m giving my dog. Despite these facts, I know that my dogs and I can succeed. It doesn’t take a stellar dog from proven working dog lineage. It doesn’t take a master trainer. Succeeding takes patience and commitment, and an awesome relationship with your dog. And the cool thing is, the more time you put into your dog, the better that relationship gets. I now know that my dogs are capable of incredible things, and that they are only limited by the time in which I have to teach them. As a result of this new perspective, I cringe when I see dogs left out in yards, not being stimulated and challenged. Dogs are intelligent creatures and depriving them of learning is cruel.

I bring all of this up to make one point. If you watch weight pull competition videos on YouTube, you will see countless ignorant comments from self-professed animal lovers calling the sport and training cruel. Working a dog is not cruel. My experience in training thus far has shown me that my dogs love and are fulfilled by the process of learning. They beam with pride when they are well worked and know they’ve pleased me. And even when they are well exercised, I can grab the leash and they are rearing to go again. Certainly there are cruel people in the sport of weight pull, but most of them aren’t very successful. The people and dogs that are winning competitions have spent countless hours together working, conditioning, and bonding. Perhaps a dog will pull for fear of punishment, or with the frustrated energy of trying to get to a toy or other bait, but champions have proven that a dog will pull MORE for the sheer joy of pleasing you and satisfying their intrinsic desire to work.

I guess I’m just venting a little, but I’m also justifying the hours I put into my dogs. I hear so many excuses from people about why they can’t get their dog out for a walk, or put even 10 minutes a day into helping a dog through a behavioral issue. Somehow I manage, and it’s on top of working a full time job and working to establish a non-profit pit bull advocacy group. It’s about priorities. And the unconditional love and devotion I get from my dogs can trump the temporary amusement from watching T.V. any day. It’s easy for those sitting on the sidelines to judge, but I know that my relationship with my dogs has improved as a result of working with them, and alongside them. Dogs truly are man’s best friend – and training can take that relationship to the next level. I hope that my boy will one day pull some ridiculous amount of weight for me. If he doesn’t, I won’t love him any less. If he does, I know he’ll have done it for me, and because he WANTS to.

RM

What Is Training

The best time to learn about dog behavior is before you're in the thick of things and your dog is jumping all over your guests or redecorating the house with the contents of your trash can. There are several ways of "training" your dog. It's important to understand that when deciding what you need to do with your dog.

First, there is "behavior training." This is the kind of training in which a dog is taught to be a "good citizen." Typically this includes housetraining, good behavior around other people and dogs, reasonable leash manners and other small things that make a dog a much more pleasant companion. A well behaved dog attracts no special notice from the public (aside from amazing some with their good manners).

Then there is "obedience training," which is generally teaching the dog how to perform specific activities on cue. This can include traditional "obedience" exercises such as sit, stay, come, down and heeling. The emphasis here is on prompt and precise performance. While there can be many overall benefits to such training, the training is usually for the training's sake and not necessarily to improve the dog's behavior. Dogs that have been obedience trained will perform specific tasks when their owners ask them to do so. (And as a matter of fact, some obedience trained dogs may behave poorly otherwise.

"Activity training" refers to training for specific activities -- this includes hunting, herding, Search and Rescue, lure coursing -- any of a myriad number of activities designed to showcase the abilities of the dog and his handler, particularly in activities a the dog has been bred to do. These days, such activity also includes "sports" such as frisbee, flyball, agility and so on. Sports type of training is basically obedience training on steroids as the dog is still being asked to do un-dog like things.

Of course the lines tend to blur between all of these distinctions. A certain amount of obedience training will help with behaviors and a behaviorist will teach certain obedience commands to assist with getting a dog under control. For example a dog that is heeling will not pull on the leash. Still you want to keep this in mind when selecting a training class so that it best matches your needs. For many pet owners, the behavior oriented classes are the best way to learn how to understand and control your dog. For those of you who want to enjoy a sport or compete in an activity with your dog you will need to start with obedience and move along to more complex training.

The basis for each type of training is who is learning who's language. With behavior training, it's mostly the human learning dog, and with obedience training it's mostly the dog learning human words and what to do when he hears them. At either end of the scale, the human has the biggest job. All the dog has to do is listen and do what the human asks for. It's the human's job to figure out how to communicate her wishes to the dog.

There really is no right or wrong way to train your dog and you can mix and match to serve your purposes. Things to take into consideration when choosing the most effective method for you and your dog include: your personality, your dog's personality, your goals, your abilities as a trainer, and your experience as a trainer. For example, if you are not happy with a particular method of training, for whatever reason, then it is unlikely you and your dog will do well with this method. Your dog will pick up on your reluctance and either share your dismay or take advantage of the situation to do as he pleases.

You need to be aware of whether your dog needs behavior modification or obedience training. Certainly, the two may be related: a dog that digs because it is bored may become less bored with obedience training and stop digging. It is important, however, to understand that the dog stopped digging because it was no longer bored than because it now knows how to sit.

If your dog is the strong, take charge type, a method that does not deal with this trait will result in his walking away with the training sessions, getting very little done. Conversely, if your dog is very sensitive, there may be a variety of methods you can use so long as you are very careful about how you correct him. Or, a very timid dog may need a particular method that emphasizes learning something new very thoroughly so that they may be as confident as possible when doing it. You have to know your dog and what his strengths and weakenesses are.

Your own abilities as a trainer come into play, as well. Some people have a natural sense of timing and an almost instinctive understanding of what their dog is thinking and how to react to it. Most people do not have this ability but can learn it to some degree over time. Others just do not. Recognizing your particular strengths and weaknesses will let you use each more effectively. Another ability some people seem to just have, others can develop, etc. is the ability to "read" a dog; that is correctly guess what the dog is thinking or feeling during training. This ability is valuable as it allows you to make appropriate adjustments on the fly to increase the effectiveness of your training.

Obviously, therefore, a good trainer is one who helps YOU figure out how to train your dog. A good trainer helps you learn to observe your dog for important clues to his behaviors and actions. A good trainer watches you and your dog work together and helps you learn where you are letting your dog down. A trainer's job, in short, is to teach you to become a trainer of your own dog. It is not a trainer's job to teach your dog.

Typically, you only see your trainer for one hour a week. Training requires short, daily sessions. YOU are the one training your dog. A good trainer has several methods under her belt and helps you figure out which ones work best with your dog.

Don't worry, there are some constants in dog training: Persistence, Consistency, Kindness and Fairness.

Rally Obedience - Starts again on May 8th at 6pm

Rally-O is a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course that includes 10 to 20 stations where the dog and the human perform a behavior or activity. Each of these stations has a sign providing instructions regarding the behavior that is to be performed. Signs are numbered to indicate the course the handler and dog take during the performance.
Originally devised by Charles L. "Bud" Kramer, Rally Obedience is a form of dog obedience with a twist - a total focus on fun and excitement for the dog, handler and spectator.
There is a lot of variety with each rally course. And Rally is different than Obedience in that handlers may talk to their dogs, praise them, and give them needed verbal commands.
Handlers can even use hand signals, point and in Novice and Advanced, clap and snap their fingers at anytime and as often as the handler needs. And it's not only allowed, but encouraged - making it a really fun sport!